2 Apache men face federal sentencing

ALBUQUERQUE -- The Justice Department announced major developments Wednesday in criminal cases against two Mescalero men.

Ryan Joseph Chavez, 40, was sentenced in federal court in Las Cruces to eight months in prison for assaulting a Bureau of Indian Affairs officer who was trying to arrest Chavez. He pleaded guilty in February.

Also in Las Cruces, Michael Bow Smith, 31, pleaded guilty Tuesday to sexually abusing a minor in Otero County. Smith was arrested in May on charges of engaging in a sexual act with a 15-year-old girl.

Smith remains in custody while he awaits sentencing. The maximum penalty for the crime charged is 15 years. Smith will also be required upon release to register as a sex offender.